From Learning to Building: Inside the Alibaba Cloud x ZAKA AI Hackathon

AI adoption becomes meaningful when people can use it to solve problems in their own fields. That idea was at the heart of the Alibaba Cloud x ZAKA AI Hackathon.

Over one month, more than 140 aspiring AI builders explored what they could create with Alibaba Cloud tools, including Qoder. Participants joined from different sectors and levels of experience, including learners from the NOMU Al Ghurair AI in Industries Program and members of the wider ZAKA community.

The goal was to give participants the tools, guidance, and space to move from learning about AI to building with it.

Making AI useful across sectors

The hackathon opened with sessions on Alibaba Cloud, Qoder, solution building, and project preparation. Participants then formed teams around problems they wanted to address.

Their ideas spanned healthcare, education, fintech, cybersecurity, smart cities, worker safety, creative industries, interior design, and infrastructure. Teams tested approaches, worked through challenges, and turned their ideas into solutions they could demonstrate.

That range of projects reflects what AI adoption can look like in practice. People working in different fields saw opportunities to apply AI to the challenges they understood best. Alibaba Cloud’s tools gave them a way to start building, while the hackathon gave them support and a clear goal to work toward.

Fifteen teams took the stage

On September 10, 15 finalist teams presented their solutions at Yas Community in Abu Dhabi. Each team explained the problem it had chosen, demonstrated what it had built, and shared its approach with judges, partners, and the ZAKA community.

Four teams were recognized as winners:

LUMIA created an interactive, gamified digital experience using Qoder.
Idrak | إدراك developed ClassMind, using Alibaba Cloud OCR and Qwen through DashScope to analyze student assessments and identify learning gaps.
AInterior Designers explored how AI can support interior design through a functional digital experience.
MS² developed CityFix, using Qwen and DashScope to analyze images of infrastructure issues and recommend possible actions.
CareAI used Qoder to turn its concept into working code and Alibaba Cloud model APIs to build key endpoints for the solution. Alibaba_Cloud_ZAKA_Finalist_Sel…
INJAZ used Qoder together with Alibaba Cloud extensions to set up the cloud environment supporting its solution.

The winning teams received additional Alibaba Cloud credits to continue developing their projects.

Creating opportunities beyond training

We were especially proud to see learners from the NOMU Al Ghurair AI in Industries Program among the winning teams. The hackathon gave them an opportunity to build on what they had learned, collaborate with others, and apply their skills to real-world challenges.

For every participant, the value extended beyond the final pitch. They gained experience choosing a problem, testing an idea, using AI tools, and showing what they could build.

Through this hackathon, Alibaba Cloud and ZAKA helped make AI more accessible to builders from different sectors and created another path for emerging talent to contribute to the UAE’s growing AI ecosystem.

Catch the best moments from the hackathon

Watch here